The Ouessant Sheep ! The breed comes from the small island of
that name, about 12 miles off the most westerly point of
Brittany. These charming little sheep are claimed to be
the smallest in the world, with the ram's shoulder
height at just 48-50cm and the ewes 45-46cm. Comparable
measurements for the smallest British breed, the
primitive Soay are 51-61cm for rams and 49-54 for ewes.
They very rarely produce twins, and it's unlikely that
such a small sheep could carry or raise more than one
lamb.

Dr Ryder (Sheep and Man, Duckworth, 1983)
concluded that they are related to the northern
short-tail sheep breed, because it has quite a short
tail and a similar range of colours. The islanders
selected black sheep for breeding, for their preferred
colour - black clothing was worn by married women in
poor rural communities in southern Europe and west of
Ireland until at least the early 1900s. A pre-1965 photo
of Dr Ryder's book shows a group of Ouessant women,
dressed largely in black, taking their sheep on leads to
the grazing grounds, where they were tethered.

The horns of the rams are heavy. Curl forward and
terminate in sharp, outward turning tips. Ouessant ewes
are polled.
The exceptionally small size of the Ouessant is
attributed to the poor grazing on the island, which led
to the selection of small sheep for breeding. The island
is composed of the same ancient rock as the Land's End
and Lizard peninsulas. Readers might recognise the
English name Ushant from the sea shanty Fair Spanish
Ladies:

We'll rant and we'll roar like true
British sailors,
We'll rant and we'll roar across the salt seas
Until we strike soundings in the Channel of Old
England,
From Ushant to Scilly is 35 leagues.

More Details:

The little Ouessant sheep carries a thick fleece of long
wool with a dense undercoat. The ram's fleece weighs
1.2-1.8kg, the ewe's fleece 1-1.5kg.

As with most primitive sheep, lambing is usually easy and
this hardy breed can live outside except in very wet or
exceptionally stormy weather.

The Ouessant can be kept on a smaller acreage than other
breeds, but they must be moved regularly to to avoid the
build up of intestinal worms or other parasites.

The original breed of Ouessant sheep existed purely on
the Isle of Ouessant until the start of the 20th century.
The inhabitants spun and wore the wool for their clothes.

There were originally two lines of Ouessant, the Morbihan
and the Vendeen, that eventually merged. The Morbihan was
of a small size and black, brown or white in colour. The
Vendeen was taller, only black with impressive horns.

Some people suggest that the Ouessant breed descended
from a Viking breed carried onboard the ships and left
behind on conquered lands.

The Ouessant sheep were kept on the Island until the mid
1900's. The breed almost disappeared and was saved from
extinction by a group of Aristocrats, who allowed the
sheep to graze on the land surrounding their chateaux.